May 16, 2003
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - Purdue track and field received splendid weather and even better performances from its athletes during the first day of competition Friday at the Big Ten Championships, hosted by the University of Minnesota. Temperatures were in the mid-70's under partly cloudy skies.
The periodic cloud cover brought with it a series of stiff breezes which enabled some athletes to record personal bests while others were possibly hindered.
Purdue's hammer throwers were unaffected by the wind as John Paul Smolenski, Keith McBride and Scott Hecht all recorded career bests. Smolenski gave the best Boilermaker effort with a third-place launch of 64.34 meters (211 feet, 1 inch), which was over two meters better than his previous best. The Purdue sophomore placed behind a pair of U.S. Championship qualifiers in Ohio State's Dan Taylor (65.08, 213-6) and Indiana's Adam Judge (68.09, 223-5).
Keith McBride (63.97, 209-10) and Scott Hecht (61.35, 201-3) finished third and fourth, respectively, giving Purdue a total of 15 team points.
Smolenski, McBride and Hecht currently rank as No. 2, 3 and 4 on the university's all-time outdoor best list. Chris Brown still holds the school record of 67.74 (222-3), which he posted at the 2001 Big Ten Outdoor Championships.
"I knew my guys were capable of throwing this well, but to do it on this stage makes it even more exciting," said Purdue throws coach John Zera. "These guys are able to get better every single week because there is a rivalry between them and they just keep pushing each other to improve."
Purdue's second bronze-medal winner Friday was senior pole vaulter Simona Kovacic, who reached a height of 3.81 (12-6). The wind definitely wrecked havoic with some of the opposition, but Kovacic didn't hold the weather responsible for her performance.
"A few years ago, I probably would have blamed the wind," said Kovacic, one of five Boilermaker pole vaulters who have qualified for NCAA regionals. "I hardly ever think about the weather, and whatever conditions exist I don't let them bother me."
Megan Darraugh also faired well in the pole vault, recording a fifth-place height of 3.66 (12-0).
Courtney Magnuson established a personal best in the hammer throw with her launch of 55.53 (182-2). Her effort, which placed sixth overall, was over two meters further than her previous best of 53.27 (174-9).
Shanna Carter is standing tall in second place after four events in the heptathlon. The junior clocked a time of 15.20 in the 100-meter hurdles, recorded a personal best in the high jump of 1.58 (5-2 1/4), tossed a lifetime best in the shot put of 11.06 (36-3 1/2) and scored a winning time of 25.99 in the 200. Carter's one-day point total of 3,009 is 92 points behind leader Danielle Bobo of Penn State.
Jan Eichenauer (2,791) and Angela Anoliefoh (2,747) are currently sixth and seventh. Both Boilermakers also posted career bests in the shot put, with Eichenauer finishing second at 11.35 (37-3) and Anoliefoh sixth at 10.78 (35-4 1/2).
Pooh Williams posted a solid day of work in the decathlon collecting 3,614 points. Through five events, the senior currently stands in fifth with 3,614 points. Williams recorded a third-place showing of 11.20 in the 100, leaped 6.68 (21-11) in the long jump, launched the shot put 12.55 (41-2 1/4), jumped 1.88 (6-0 3/4) in the high jump and finished runner-up in the 400 at 51.48. Teammate Kevin White is in ninth with 3,215 points.
In the men's 10,000, Robert Heise led all Purdue runners with an 11th-place mark of 32:16.62. Kyle Orneder followed Heise in 12th at 32:22.04.
After one day of competition, the Boilermaker men are in third with 15.0 points, behind Indiana (22.0) and Ohio State (18.0). The Purdue women are in the fourth spot with 13.0 points, trailing Michigan (25.0), Penn State (19.0) and Michigan State (18.0)
Saturday's action kicks off at 9:30 a.m. with the decathlon 110-meter hurdles. For live meet results fans should access www.BigTen.org and click on the outdoor track and field link. Purdue sports information will provide a nightly recap at the conclusion of each day's events.